UW President discusses cuts and pay request

The President of the University of Wyoming says while the six percent budget cuts are better than the eight percent the Governor had previously proposed…he says they will still cause pain.

President Tom Buchanan told the legislature’s Joint Appropriations Committee that the cuts could cost U-W 60 to 95 employees and added that some may have to be layoffs. Buchanan also made the case for increasing U-W’s faculty and staff salaries by three percent.

“Recognizing shifts in the cost of living and the market issues which do show us substantially below average. And the fact that there has been no increase in the last three to four years.”

Buchanan noted that the stagnant pay has cost them some valuable employees. The governor denied U-W’s three percent request in favor of a one-point-four percent average increase. Lawmakers will vote on a budget next month.